CHINA plans to build a supercomputing internet by the end of 2025 to connect powerful computers across the nation and effectively tap into their joint computing power to promote innovation and socioeconomic growth, China Daily reported yesterday.

It quoted a statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology at a work meeting and said that after decades of efforts, China’s supercomputing sector is among global front-runners, effectively supporting the nation’s science and technology innovation, social development and digital economy.

However, with the rise of big data, artificial intelligence and a new generation of information technology, society needs more computing power than ever, the statement said, adding that the purpose of the supercomputing internet is to organize local computing centers into a more coordinated system on a national scale.

The newspaper said the endeavor will allow China to overcome key issues such as an uneven distribution of computing capacity, a lack of standardization in computing ports and a lack of incentives for creating and adopting domestically developed application software.

Also it is expected to support China’s efforts in making breakthroughs in science and engineering, and in fulfilling the digital China strategy.

The report further quoted Li Guojie, a computer scientist and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as saying that by building an integrated and efficient supercomputing internet, China can improve its application shortcomings and make supercomputers more accessible to the general public.

Sun Ninghui, another computer scientist and Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, told the newspaper that supercomputers are foundational digital infrastructure that can spur technological revolutions. Therefore, it is imperative that China reduces the cost of accessing such computing power and lowers the entry barriers for programming on these machines.

Ma Jihua, a veteran industry observer, told the Global Times on Monday that China already takes the lead in the world in supercomputing with the United States.

Ma said that China and the United States both lead the world with comparable supercomputing capability, while the institutional advantages combined with a strong computing power will further boost China’s international competitiveness. (SD-Xinhua)